Not me or Carol! This fourth tour with OAT seems cursed with colds and flu. One member arrived with flu like symptoms she picked up on the flight over. Since then about half the travelers have come down with symptoms. Yesterday, An, our tour leader, reported that he too has the bug. The bus ride back from our day’s adventures sounded like a college infirmary. When we were approaching the hotel, An lead many of the stick people off the bus to a pharmacy to help them buy the “cures” of their choice. We stayed on the bus back to the hotel and Carol ran down the street to where she knew a primary school would be dismissing the children. It is quite a sight as hundreds of children exit the school yard to meet their parents and get on the motorbikes to ride home. This is the biggest motorbike crush we’ve seen since Hanoi.
Our day started with a boat ride on Cam Rahn Bay to an island fishing village where we landed and walked through the village market. It was very active. We kept wondering why the middle school kids were not in school. Christmas Day is not a holiday here. They had just taken a national exam and had two days off. When we got to the end of our walk there was no place for us to board the boat from shore. We were offered two options; 1 ride a raft pulled on a line hand over hand or 2 try a wet foot transfer to a round bamboo basket waterproofed with tar and try to paddle out to the boat. Fortunately the boats came with boatmen. Naturally Carol and I had to try the boats. We went separately in hopes of taking pictures of each other. I got to paddle, she didn’t. All you lovers of kayaks and canoes, think about paddling a round tub with no keel or skeg with one paddle on open water in a stiff breeze. The good news was we were headed mostly downwind. Paddling on one side and the other did not work. Then I watched the boatman paddling from the “front” and realized he was using a draw stroke. I took over and was able to make headway. It ain’t easy even though they make it look so. We finished the morning with two hours in the sun on Mi Ni Beach where lounges and sunshades were provided. We had a good read, nap, rest which was most appreciated.
We then went to a village outside of Nha Trang where we were met the village chief and his wife who prepared lunch for us. Our team did not get the word that the road was being renovated and we had to dismount twice to let the driver negotiate around piles of dirt left in the middle of an already narrow road. The chief was a combatant in the south Vietnamese army, our team. The land we were on which has been in his family for several generations had been a battle field in the war. He was permitted to return and build up the village. Their major occupation is working with bamboo to make baskets used in the various markets to hold and transport produce, chop sticks in eatng, cooking and stirring sizes. They also make rooster cages. I’m not sure I’ve mentioned that cock fighting is a big sport in Vietnam. Cocks are treasured and they do not fight to the death but rather are judged and the fight is stopped if it looks like one will be seriously hurt. This is how it was explained to us.
After Carol got her pictures we went shopping to buy me a hat to replace the one I lost along the way yesterday. I need a full brim to keep the sun off. This one had the Red Star and Nha Trang on it. It may last the rest of the trip, who can complain for 50000 Dong ($2.50)
Speaking of shopping. My camera appeared to have given up the ghost yesterday. The lens would not retract and I had a lens error message. We found a camera store and bought a new pocketable Canon camera. As I was going over the features in the hotel room I heard a noise like a camera lens retracting. I looked over at the old G12 and found it had “recovered” I shot with it all day today. ???